What Valumat does

Valumat vzw (also operating as Valumat asbl) is a Belgian non-profit association and the sole recognised collective Producer Responsibility Organisation (PRO) for mattresses in Belgium, established in 2021 by the country's three principal sector federations — Fedustria, Comeos, and Interieur Unie/Navem — when Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) legislation for mattresses came into force on 1 January 2021. The organisation administers compliance on behalf of mattress producers and importers across all three Belgian regions (Flanders, Wallonia, and Brussels-Capital), operating from its registered headquarters in Brussels and an administrative office in Wemmel. Membership is anchored by statutory obligation: producers and importers of mattresses placed on the Belgian market sign a membership contract and submit an annual declaration of volumes, while paying size-tiered environmental contributions (€3.51 excl. VAT for children's mattresses up to 70x140cm, €7.02 excl. VAT for mattresses and toppers ≤120cm, and €14.05 excl. VAT for mattresses and toppers >120cm, with 21% VAT).

Valumat does not develop proprietary technology; it is an administrative and operational coordinator that channels contributions into a physical collection and recycling infrastructure. Members gain access to a nationwide network of homologated collectors, approved recycling centres, and voluntary retailer collection points, with retailers compensated at €600 per tonne (approximately €9 per mattress) when they collect old mattresses upon delivery of new ones. Discarded mattresses that cannot be reused are disassembled and recycled into products including judo mats, car dashboards, thermal and acoustic insulation, and cow comfort mats. The portfolio also includes a Design for Circularity (D4C) R&D programme — funded by a portion of contributions and delivered with partners Centexbel and WOOD.BE — which develops Design-for-Recycling guidelines for PU foam and researches textile fibre recycling. Operational execution is outsourced to Recydata, which acts as Valumat's administrative 'black box'.

The business model is a closed-loop regulatory utility. Valumat is funded entirely by the annual environmental contributions it bills to members; rates are set each year by its general assembly and approved by the three regional authorities. Because the contributions are calibrated to cover expected collection, transport, processing, operating, and R&D costs, Valumat functions on a cost-recovery basis rather than profit maximisation. Customer segments include mattress producers and importers (paying members), retailers (information and voluntary collection obligations, with optional compensation), operators of collective facilities such as care centres, hotels, and student residences (separate-collection obligations), and Belgian consumers (drop-off and reuse). The 150+ member roster spans major international brands (IKEA Supply, JYSK, Tempur, Emma Matratzen, Royal Auping, Vispring) and large Belgian retailers (Carrefour Belgium, Lidl Belgium, Bedking Ergopolis, Swiss Sense Belgie). In March 2025, Valumat extended its scope to online marketplace operators as a distinct contributor category, effective 29 March 2025.

Name

Valumat

Legal name

Valumat vzw

Website

https://valumat.be

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Valumat is the Belgian non-profit Producer Responsibility Organisation that administers Extended Producer Responsibility for mattresses across Flanders, Wallonia, and Brussels, collecting annual environmental contributions from producers and importers and funding a nationwide collection and recycling network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Brussels

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Environmental contributions from producers and importers: Valumat collects annual environmental contributions from producers and importers of mattresses based on the number of mattresses placed on the Belgian market. The contributions are tiered by mattress size and type: €3.51 excl. VAT for children's mattresses (max 70x140cm), €7.02 excl. VAT for mattresses and toppers ≤120cm, and €14.05 excl. VAT for mattresses and toppers >120cm. A 21% VAT rate applies. These contributions cover the costs of collection, transport, and processing of discarded mattresses, as well as operating costs and R&D budget for ecodesign.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Valumat is a Belgian non-profit association (vzw/asbl) that operates a collective Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) system for mattresses. Producers and importers join the system, submit annual declarations of mattresses placed on the Belgian market, and pay tiered environmental contributions (€3.51–€14.05 excl. VAT per mattress by size). The collected funds finance a nationwide network of homologated collectors and approved recycling centres that take back, disassemble, and recycle discarded mattresses into products such as judo mats, car dashboards, thermal/acoustic insulation, and cow comfort mats.

Product overview

Valumat is a Belgian non-profit organization (vzw) that operates a collective Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) system for mattresses. The core offering is the Valumat EPR System, which enables mattress producers and importers to comply with their take-back obligations by joining the collective scheme, making annual declarations via a secure online application, and paying environmental contributions. The system funds a network of homologated collectors and recycling centers that process discarded mattresses. The portfolio includes the Voluntary Collection Service (providing financial incentives of approximately €9 per mattress to retailers and collective facilities), Design for Circularity (ecodesign research), Communication Materials for retailers, and Online Marketplace Operator Compliance tools. Environmental contributions are tiered by mattress size: €3.51 excl. VAT for children's mattresses, €7.02 excl. VAT for mattresses ≤120cm, and €14.05 excl. VAT for mattresses >120cm.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Valumat EPR System (Collective Extended Producer Responsibility Scheme) Collective Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) scheme enabling mattress producers and importers in Belgium to fulfil their statutory take-back and recycling obligations via a single membership, an annual declaration of mattresses placed on the Belgian market, and payment of tiered environmental contributions. The scheme finances collection, transport, and processing through a network of homologated collectors and approved recycling centres across all three Belgian regions.
• Annual Declaration Application

Quantifiable outcome

• Mattresses that cannot be reused are completely disassembled and recycled into judo mats, car dashboards, thermal and acoustic insulation, and cow comfort mats.
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers21 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• RecydatacoreOthersRecydata is the service provider and 'black box' for Valumat, handling administrative and operational tasks on behalf of the organisation.
• OVAM (Openbare Vlaamse Afvalstoffenmaatschappij)coreOthersThe Public Flemish Waste Management Company is the regional administrative body overseeing waste management in the Flemish Region. Valumat collaborates with OVAM for EPR compliance in Flanders.
• DSD (Service Public de Wallonie — département du Sol et des Déchets)coreOthersThe Walloon public service department for soil and waste management is the regulatory body for the Walloon Region. Valumat operates under DSD oversight for EPR compliance in Wallonia.
• Leefmilieu BrusselcoreOthersThe Brussels environment agency is the regulatory body for the Brussels-Capital Region. Valumat collaborates with Leefmilieu Brussel for EPR compliance in Brussels.
• Fedustria (Belgian Federation of the Textile, Wood and Furniture Industry)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFedustria is one of the founding sector federations of Valumat. It represents the Belgian textile, wood, and furniture industry and was instrumental in establishing Valumat as the collective EPR body for mattresses.
• Comeos (Belgian Federation for Trade and Services)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerComeos is one of the founding sector federations of Valumat, representing the Belgian trade and services sector including mattress retailers.
• Interieur Unie (Nationale Vereniging van de Belgische Meubelhandelaars / Navem)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInterieur Unie (formerly Navem) is the National Association of Belgian Furniture Retailers and one of the founding federations of Valumat.
• Denuo (Belgian Federation of the Waste and Recycling Sector)minorOthersDenuo is the Belgian federation of waste and recycling companies. Valumat is listed as a member or collaborator within the broader Belgian waste management ecosystem.
• VALIPACminorOthersVALIPAC is the recognised organism for the information and take-back obligation for professional packaging in Belgium. Listed as a related EPR organisation in Valumat's resources section.
• FOST PlusminorOthersFOST Plus is the recognised organism for the information and take-back obligation for household packaging in Belgium. Listed as a related EPR organisation in Valumat's resources section.
• CentexbelminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCentexbel is a textile research institute that collaborated with Valumat and WOOD.BE on research into current and future textile recycling technologies for mattresses, investigating how mattress textile components (natural and synthetic fibres, multi-material fabrics, coatings) can be better identified, sorted, and recycled in a circular economy context.
• WOOD.BEminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWOOD.BE collaborated with Valumat and Centexbel on research into textile recycling technologies for end-of-life mattresses, contributing expertise on the wood/furniture value chain.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• Citeo: French Producer Responsibility Organisation for household and commercial packaging. Operates the same PRO business model as Valumat (collective contributions funding collection and recycling) but in France and for packaging, with no overlap on mattresses.
• Ecologic: German Producer Responsibility Organisation operating across multiple product categories. Same collective-PRO business model as Valumat but based in Germany with broader product scope and no direct overlap in mattresses.

Direct peers

• Ecomaison: French Producer Responsibility Organisation managing EPR for furniture, bedding and mattresses. Closest international equivalent to Valumat, operating the same collective contribution-and-collection model for end-of-life mattresses under French regulation.
• FOST Plus: Belgian Producer Responsibility Organisation for household packaging. Sister PRO with the same vzw/asbl structure and Belgian EPR regulatory framework as Valumat, focused on household packaging take-back and recycling.
• Bebat: Belgian Producer Responsibility Organisation for portable batteries. Sister PRO operating under the same Belgian EPR framework and vzw/asbl structure as Valumat, but managing battery collection and recycling obligations.
• VALIPAC: Belgian Producer Responsibility Organisation for industrial packaging. Sister PRO operating under the same Belgian EPR regulatory framework and vzw/asbl legal structure as Valumat, but serving the industrial-packaging product stream.
• Recupel: Belgian Producer Responsibility Organisation for electrical and electronic equipment. Sister PRO sharing the same Belgian EPR regulatory architecture, governance model and operational structure as Valumat, but focused on EEE.
• Mattress Recycling Council: US non-profit industry organization that administers mattress-recycling programs in states with mattress EPR legislation. Closest international peer in terms of product focus (mattresses) and EPR-style funding, although the underlying funding model (industry-funded recycling fee rather than producer contributions) differs from Valumat's.

Broad incumbents

• European Recycling Platform (ERP): Pan-European Producer Responsibility Organisation offering compliance services across many EU countries and product categories. Larger and broader than Valumat, with overlapping EPR capabilities but operating as a commercial (for-profit) PRO rather than a Belgian sector non-profit.

Others

• National Bed Federation: UK trade association representing the bed and bedding manufacturing industry. Adjacent to Valumat's mattress ecosystem but operates as a trade body, not a Producer Responsibility Organisation, and does not run mattress take-back or recycling programs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/valumat-vzw-asbl

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Valumat